Woodside's Federal Court Case: What You Need to Know

By Alistair Bates

ABC Pilbara

Topic: Oil and Gas

Saturday, 25 July 2026, at 1:41 pm

Activists and lawyers spent four days in Federal Court to stop Woodside's North West Shelf project extension.

The court looked at ministerial bias, secret text exchanges, and climate change math in a big legal fight over Australia's largest gas project.

Environment Minister Murray Watt allowed Woodside Energy to keep operating its North West Shelf facilities until 2070, making international news.

This week, his approval was challenged in Federal Court.

Claims of 'apprehended bias'

The court heard challenges from the Friends of Australian Rock Art and the Australian Conservation Foundation.

Their arguments focused on Minister Watt's decision and how he made it.

Lawyers defended Minister Watt's decision in Federal Court.

The Australian Conservation Foundation's lawyer said Minister Watt's staff had a lot of contact with Woodside, which might have influenced the decision.

He said a reasonable person could think the minister's office and Woodside were too close.

Justice Catherine Button described this as a suggestion of 'friendliness' between the minister's office and Woodside.

A government official started talking to a Woodside executive about environmental law changes.

The executive replied, 'Let's wait till this matter is cleared and then we'll move on to the next thing!'

Another message from a Woodside representative thanked someone for their help.

The Australian Conservation Foundation's CEO rallied protesters outside the court.

The Friends of Australian Rock Art said Minister Watt only looked at the good things about the project and ignored the bad.

Their lawyer said Minister Watt copied and pasted a summary from Woodside consultants into his reasons.

Minister Watt says he did not favor Woodside

Minister Watt added 48 conditions to the approval after Woodside said his first proposal was too strict.

Woodside's lawyer said the conditions showed the minister was not biased.

The traditional owners of the Burrup rock art tell their stories before UNESCO's final assessment.

Minister Watt's lawyer said the minister did not know about all the messages sent by his staff.

He said Minister Watt disagreed with Woodside about the impact of industrial emissions on sacred rock carvings.

Browse proposal is important

Another Woodside project in the Browse basin could affect the North West Shelf decision.

The Australian Conservation Foundation's lawyer said Minister Watt should not have considered the Browse project in his decision.

Woodside wants to use its North West Shelf plant to process gas from the Browse basin.

A company spokesperson said the project would help the region's economy and energy security while protecting the environment.

The spokesperson said feedback helped shape the project to reduce its environmental impact.

Protesters highlighted the Browse project's proximity to the Scott Reef.

A UN envoy supported the Australian Conservation Foundation and the Friends of Australian Rock Art in court.

Minister Watt's lawyers said he did not have to consider the North West Shelf's greenhouse gas emissions.

The UN envoy said this position was 'purely mathematical' and did not consider the harm caused by the emissions.

The judge has not made a decision yet.

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